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If you've recently had extremity injuries and you're not sure how to identify the treatment for these, read this article to help you.
Here's How You Can Identify and Treat Extremity Trauma
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Extremity injuries can be divided into upper and lower extremity injuries. As for upper extremity injuries, it is hard to make an estimate of the impact of traumatic injuries to the upper extremities. In the workplace, the number of claims for upper extremity injury has gone up, accounting for more than 30 percent of all work-related injuries. On the other hand, lower extremity injuries can end up with amputations. There is 1 in every 200 people in the U.S. that have had an amputation. Most of these are related to vascular diseases, however, about 15 percent of lower extremity amputations are a result of traumatic injuries.
Body Parts That Are at Risk for Extremity Trauma
Causes of Extremity Fractures
Extremity fractures are common fractures that can be caused by any number of injurious conditions. They happen because of the following conditions:
Symptoms of an Extremity Fracture
The symptoms of an extremity fracture vary widely according to the location of the fracture. The pain is usually located at the site of the injury, and there can be distal disruption of the nerves or blood vessels in any fracture that causes numbness, tingling or coldness to the part of the body distal to the fracture. The main symptoms of an upper extremity fracture are:
Diagnosis of Extremity Injuries
Treatment of Extremity Injuries
There are first aid and definitive treatment of extremity fractures. The first aid treatment of extremity injuries includes the following:
Complications of Extremity Fractures
Not all extremity fractures heal perfectly, and there can be long-term complications, including:
Upon identifying the upper and lower extremity injuries, be sure to take actions for immediate therapies and treatments necessary. If you or a loved one has suffered extremity trauma as a result of someone else's negligence and would like to discuss your legal options with an experienced Sacramento Personal Injury Attorney, contact us online or call us at 916.921.6400 to set up a FREE consultation.
Here's How You Can Identify and Treat Extremity Trauma
- Introduction to Extremity Injuries
- Body Parts That Are at Risk for Extremity Trauma
- Causes of Extremity Fractures
- Symptoms of an Extremity Fracture
- Diagnosis of Extremity Injuries
- Treatment of Extremity Injuries
- Complications of Extremity Fractures
Body Parts That Are at Risk for Extremity Trauma

Upper extremity trauma usually involves a fracture of the shoulder or head of the humerus, dislocation of the humerus, humeral shaft fracture, elbow fracture, radial and ulnar fractures and wrist or hand fractures. Because a person in a motor vehicle accident often braces themselves with their hand, they fracture one or more bones in the upper extremity as the forces push into the hand from the motor vehicle accident and “give” somewhere along the course of the upper extremity. Upper extremity injuries can also include sprains and nerve injuries, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. Carpal tunnel syndrome occurs when the median nerve is impinged in the carpal tunnel of the wrist because of repetitive trauma or a sudden trauma that damages the carpal tunnel and causes impingement of the nerve. Lower extremity trauma can be anything from a pelvic fracture, hip fracture, patellar fracture, tibia and fibula fracture, ankle fracture, or foot fracture. There can also be dislocations of the patella and the hip. Most of these injuries are caused by motor vehicle accidents. The force of the accident can cause the foot to brace in the footwell of the car, causing fractures of the long bones, the hip or the pelvis. The knee can be where the force originates, leading to things like “dashboard knee” or even a patellar fracture. The fractures can be displaced or nondisplaced, depending on the injury. Displaced fractures are more severe because the bony fracture segments are not in the correct position. They must be fixed by external reduction or internal reduction (in the operating room). Nondisplaced fractures are easier to repair but still might need surgery for internal fixation of the fracture with plates, screws or rods, among other choices.
Causes of Extremity Fractures
- Automobile injuries
- Motorcycle accidents
- All-terrain vehicle accidents
- Falls from a great height
- Bicycle accidents
- Altercations
- Falls from a standing position
- Sports-related accidents
Symptoms of an Extremity Fracture
- Pain and swelling in the affected area
- Obvious deformity at the site of the fracture
- Inability to effectively use the arm due to problems in the affected area
- Bruising, warmth, or redness of the affected area
- Inability to walk on the affected leg
- Instability of the leg
- Deformity of the affected area
- Distal coolness, numbness or paralysis of the extremity
- Pain at the site of the fracture
Diagnosis of Extremity Injuries

The diagnosis of extremity injuries includes first doing a plain film x-ray on the affected area to look for fractures. Most fractures are easy to see on plain film x-ray. In situations in which a fracture is expected but not seen on plain film, a CT scan or MRI scan can look carefully at the bone so that non-displaced fractures can be seen. The MRI has the added advantage of being able to show any soft tissue damage or hematomas from the injury.If there is a suspected nerve injury, the doctor can use an electromyogram to check the nerve function of muscles distal to the injury. A nerve stimulation test can be done to see if the fracture or other injury had impinged on a nerve. Doppler ultrasound can assess the pulses distal to the injury to assess whether or not the arterial blood flow has been injured. This kind of injury requires emergent surgery to restore circulation to the affected arm or leg.
Treatment of Extremity Injuries
- Apply ice to the swollen or painful areas
- Do not move the extremity.
- Take Aleve, Advil, or Tylenol
- Brace the extremity if you have the tools for that.
- Activate EMS if needed for transport or for other injuries.
Complications of Extremity Fractures
- Persistent deformity of the extremity
- Lack of complete function of the extremity
- Lack of nerve function distal to the injury
- Poor circulation past the injury
- Amputation secondary to failure of healing of the injury or severe crush injury.
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Editor’s Note: This page has been updated for accuracy and relevancy [cha 10.28.20]